


this love is ours

by hopeletgo



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-17
Updated: 2013-04-17
Packaged: 2017-12-08 17:50:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/764235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopeletgo/pseuds/hopeletgo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>liam's in the army and louis' not. this is a story about that. sort of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	this love is ours

**Author's Note:**

> so this happened? i don't really know. this was just supposed to cute and fluffy and then FEELINGS got involved and so now it's fluff with feelings. 
> 
> much thanks to my lovely beta tay who doesn't even like one direction. any other mistakes are mine. this has not been brit-picked so sorry for any americanisms that may have occurred. 
> 
> disclaimer: if you know anyone or are in this fic, do not go any further.

****

It’s not that Louis misses Liam all the time, okay? I mean they talk on Skype at least once a month.  Sure, sometimes the camera cuts out and more times than not there’s a lag but honestly, that’s more than a lot of people in their situation get.  Plus, they get a weekly phone call so it’s not as bad as it could be.

They’re lucky really.  So, so _lucky_. Louis should be _thankful_ and he is, all right? He’s so, _so grateful._ It’s just, that there’s this absolute knob in marketing who gave him a dirty look this morning because he had the audacity talk about his _boyfriend_.  There was eye-rolling and scoffing like he should be _ashamed,_ which _no,_ just no.  He’s mostly used to it now, the stares and whispers under their breaths like he can’t hear them but _still._

Liam Payne is the love of his goddamn _life._   He’d scream it from the rooftop if he could, already has actually but that’s not the point; the point is he was out of line and the even bigger point was that he _does_ miss Liam _all the time._

And he never wanted to be one of those boyfriends whose whole life revolves around their significant other’s and truly his life doesn’t but Liam is such a large part and just he misses lazy Sunday mornings spent in their not quite big enough bed.

Trading slow, gentle kisses until they run out of breath or until one of them (Louis) demands that the other (Liam) make breakfast even if it’s two in the afternoon.  It’s usually half burnt because Liam isn’t a cook and really Louis only complains _some_ of the time.

And he misses how Liam’s caterpillar eyebrows would furrow in concentration as he tries to do the _London Times_ crossword on Saturday nights for the umpteenth time even though he’s absolutely terrible at it. 

(There is definitely not a stack of all the ones he’s missed since he’s been deployed. Definitely not.)

“We’re adults.  Adults do things like crosswords in the _London Times_.”  He’ll say when Louis bugs him about it. 

“Boring ones maybe.” he’ll reply with an exaggerated eye roll “We’re 26 not 57, Li.” Liam’ll huff and make a point of staring at the puzzle that much harder. 

Even after Louis’ perched his chin over Liam’s shoulder arms loop around his waist so he can at least pretend to help.  

“I’m not boring?” he’ll ask later after they’re snuggled on the couch, Louis tucked into his side, crossword unfinished and forgotten on the kitchen bar.

“No, babe, you’re not boring.” he’ll reply with a soft kiss to Liam’s neck. Liam’ll kiss the top of his head (he misses that too) and he won’t be able to resist to adding “Okay, maybe a little.” and then Liam will pin him down on the couch and tickle him mercilessly until they’re both out of breath.

And with Liam above him, hands on either side of his head, both of their chests heaving,  all of Liam’s attention on him,  a position he’s been in many a time before, Louis thinks maybe he could do this for the rest of his life.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day Louis finds out Liam has to leave, it’s raining. Of course it’s raining because what’s bad news without nasty weather added into the mix. It’s all too cliché if he’s being honest. 

Generally, he doesn’t mind the rain so much, kind of futile given it rains so much  here but this was not that gentle rain that left everything damp and smelling fresh.

No this was the gross  kind that beat everything down, wind throwing sheets across the road until it was near impossible to see out the front windshield.

Really though it’s just a coincidence because when he walks into their shared apartment that night he’s expecting to curl up on their couch in one of Liam’s jumpers that’s too big in the shoulders and sleeves so long he can pull them over his hands and his favorite pair of flannel pajama bottoms with his feet tucked under Liam’s knees while he catches up on Doctor Who. 

Just another typical evening in the Tomlinson-Payne household.

However what he finds instead is Liam hunched over their kitchen table, one hand holding up his head while the other fingers a letter resting on the table.  He didn’t look up when Louis came in (which is strange enough) but it’s the tense line of Liam’s shoulders that make has his stomach twisting uncomfortably.

The thing is Liam’s been distant for a few days now. Not exactly rejecting Louis’ affection outright but pulling away too quickly to be innocent.  It’s happened a few times before. Louis tries not to push it when it happens because Liam usually tells him eventually. 

Disturbingly quiet before he speaks about a triggered memory that has Louis clutching his hand tightly, thumb rubbing smoothly over rough knuckles and whispering reassurances into Liam’s hair until he feels the shaking subside.

This, however, feels different, heavier somehow.

He walks over, steps purposefully louder so Liam isn’t startled, and places a hand at the back of Liam’s head, stroking the soft fuzz before he murmurs an “Everything alright?” into the top of Liam’s hair. 

Liam reaches up and grabs the back of Louis’ bicep exhaling shakily for a few breathes before he mumbles a “we—we need to talk.” He has to clear his throat midway through and Louis wonders just how long he’s been sitting here.

Then his hand drops away and Louis’ world starts to tilt, just the slightest bit.

When Liam tells him he has to go back in a month and a half, it tips over completely.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A month out from Liam’s deployment, bickering turns into a full blown row that ends with Liam walking out of their flat and Louis still seething where he stands in the middle of the living room. 

They were both exhausted and Liam’s deployment date was looming closer and closer, nearly suffocating them both, choking life and reason out of everything.

It started out plain enough. Louis had forgot to buy milk…again.  On the best of days, it was just fun teasing and nagging because “Honestly, Lou, I left a note this time and everything.”

But tonight it was just the absolute last straw for both of them for whatever reason. Too many nights ignoring the painful truth hanging over their heads. 

In a month’s time there would be no more nagging about milk and no more nights spent tangled together, sticky with sweat, no more lunch dates, no more coffee breaks

Basically a whole list of no mores that made Louis desperate enough to beg Liam not to go and Liam swimming in guilt because he had no choice. 

Sure it would have been perfectly reasonable to talk about this calmly and rationally. Maybe on a better day it’s how this would have played out but today they both resorted to the anger that was easier to touch and feel; that hung out on the surface, so easy to cling to when things got hard.

So it was “Why can’t you just say no? Don’t I mean anything to you?” instead of “I’m gonna miss you so much my whole chest aches and it’s really hard to breathe if I even start to think about it. Please don’t leave me.”  

And for Liam, who wasn’t much for anger unless you knew which buttons to push (and Louis did) it was “You know I don’t have a choice. Goddamnit. Stop acting like I’m doing this to spite you, “instead of “I don’t want to. I hate that I have to.”

“I’m sorry it’s just a little hard to be happy and understanding about the fact that my _boyfriend_ is about to leave for a _year_ because of something he _chose_ to do.”

“You’re right I did choose this, _years_ before I met you. How inconsiderate of me not to predict the future and think of how the decision would affect the boyfriend that I never expected to have. You’re right, Lou. I’m a monster.  Honestly I don’t know how you can stand to be in the same room as me right now. ”  

He was right. It was unfair of Louis to start this fight knowing full well that if Liam had a choice he would choose Louis a thousand times over but the fact remained that there was no choice here and Louis was getting left behind.  Forced by circumstances out of control to accept the reality of life, leaving him grappling for anything that would take away this sick feeling he’d come to know so well.

He’d been abandoned enough in his life to know it was easier to leave first and fuck Liam because it wasn’t supposed to be like this with _Liam_. Liam was different and wonderful and the exception and just, this wasn’t suppos2ed to happen.

“Why don’t you just leave me now? There’s no point stringing this along. Why are we even trying?”

He knows it’s the wrong thing to say, not even how he feels really but he’s not going to just give in.  His pride would never let him and this conversation is towing the line to a part of Louis that he doesn’t like anyone to see, barely lets Liam see sometimes so he says it because he knows it’ll work; played this game _enough_.

Liam stays silent for a moment, taking a few calculated breaths before speaking again.

“You know why.”  It’s more of a whisper than anything but it resounds loud and clear in the silence of the room.

He walks out after that, door clicking quietly behind him. The sound echoes in his head, loud and unforgiving.  He might have well as slammed it for as jarring as it feels in that moment.  Briefly he tries to hold onto the anger, let it soothe the ache but in the end he just feels empty, feels himself start to unravel.

_Get used to it_ , he thinks and forces back the lump in his throat.  He holds out as long as he can before ringing Harry.

He answers on the third ring, “Lou?”

“Hey” and his voice breaks and he’s left breathing shaky, little exhales for longer than he wants to.

Harry gives him a few minutes to regain his composure before he asks “What happened, Lou?” He sounds sad and resigned like he’d been waiting for the call. 

He shakes his head as he feels tears slip down his cheeks because _he_ fucked up he reminds himself and now Liam was gone.

“We---had a fight.”

“Yeah no, I gathered but that doesn’t explain why Liam’s here, looking like someone just killed his puppy and made him watch while they did it.”

Of course Liam went to Harry’s.  (Of course Liam was a wreck.)

He hears the sound of the phone being covered and an “It’s Louis” whispered to someone, Niall probably. 

“You told him to leave you, didn’t you?” he says with a sigh and it should make him angry that Harry knows without a word, knows Louis’ game better than Louis but it doesn’t.

He exhales shakily again but he thinks it comes out more like a quiet sob.  “I-i d-didn’t—“and he hates that he’s failing to keep it together because this is his fault. This is something he _wanted._ (No it isn’t)

“I’m coming over, alright? It’s going to be okay, Lou.” he adds after Louis doesn’t reply. 

10 minutes later, there’s a knock and then the sound of the door knob being twisted. He hadn’t gotten up to lock it. It’s something Liam would yell at him for he thinks absently. 

“Louis?” and then a few seconds later the couch sags and he’s being pulled into Harry’s giant chest that’s not like Liam’s at all but it’ll do for now.  There’s tears and snot and a lot of other things he won’t mention but eventually he hears Harry murmur, “He loves you, you know?”

And he does know. Knows that Liam loves Louis way more than Louis even deserves. (Liam says the same thing about Louis) but he just has a hard time believing it on days like this, wonders if he’ll ever really know it like he should.

He nods into Harry’s chest and then just focuses on breathing because it’s safe and warm here and he doesn’t have to move just yet. Eventually Harry rearranges them until he is lying down and Louis is half on top of him, back pressed against the couch. 

At some point, he must have dozed off because the next thing he opens his eyes to is an exhausted looking Liam looking at him from the chair opposite of the couch, dark circles bruised under sad eyes while he chews a thumbnail like he does when he’s anxious.

Harry’s dead asleep under him, an arm thrown over his eyes, mouth hanging open unceremoniously.  

He doesn’t say a word as he climbs gently off of Harry and into Liam’s lap. Liam’s arms come around him almost immediately. He takes a deep breath in and it’s all Liam, faint whiff of that fancy cologne he could never remember the name of and sweat, mixed together into something that was uniquely and comfortingly Liam. 

He should say something along the Lines of “I’m sorry” or “do you know you’re in love with a huge twat?” but all that comes out is a barely audible, “don’t leave.” finally giving into that heavy ache in his chest.  He’s not sure Liam could even hear but his embrace tightens and there’s a kiss to the top of his forehead.   “Let’s never do this again, yeah?” 

He nods and Lifts his head so he can look Liam in the face and maneuvers himself so he can kiss Liam properly. “Yeah.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two nights before they’d gone out with the lads to send Liam off properly. There might have been karaoke and there was definitely lots of shots involved. Probably too many given that the night ended with Harry and Niall trying to swallow each other’s tongues in the corner, Zayn slurring his way through a Mariah Carey tune on stage, decent enough given the mic stand was probably the only thing keeping him upright and Liam fireman carrying Louis out of the bar after he had not so nonchalantly tried to stick his hand down Liam’s trousers. 

“Don’t start things you’re not going to be able to finish, love.” to which Louis pouted fantastically even if he knew there was no way he was going to stay awake or keep it up long enough to do anything.  And damnit he knew he should have said no after that fourth shot of tequila and lime. 

Once they arrived back home, he lasted long enough to share a few messy kisses licking his way into Liam’s mouth in a way that had Liam trying unsuccessfully to muffle a moan or two. It wasn’t his best work by far but it left both of them with swollen, red lips, so definitely a win in his book. 

Afterwards when keeping his head upright was too much of an effort, he nuzzled into the crook of Liam’s neck and let himself drift off to the steady rise and fall of Liam’s chest.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next night, the night before Liam was to leave, they spent the evening curled together after a round of frantic, desperate fucking followed later by a slow, languid exploring with lingering kisses and almost numbingly good build up.  Drawing out orgasms as if they could erase all the distance and aching that was coming within the next morning and never ending months after that.

Now here they are face to face, Liam’s eyes are closed as Louis traces his fingers over his closed lids and then his nose and then his lips, bruised just the tiniest bit and swollen from hungry kisses.  Liam nips at his fingertips and Louis smiles before continuing his finger trail down to the love bite he’d sucked into Liam’s birthmark earlier.

He feels Liam swallow against his fingers, the reflexive bob of his adam’s apple and then his fingers are being pulled away and laced together with Liam’s own.

“Gonna get such shit from the lads about that.” his eyes are now open and his voice is soft and teasing. 

“Jealous, the whole lot of them. Besides I just want it to be obvious that you’re very much taken.” he says it like Liam’s going away on a vacation, like Liam’s not about to fly into a warzone, like Liam couldn’t _die_ while he’s there. “No fooling around on me, Payner.”

Liam’s chuckle is a little forced and stilted like laughing about anything right now is impossible. They’ve ignored the fact that in 5 hours they’re going to have to say goodbye right until this very moment and now it’s terrifyingly real what’s about to happen.

“Would never, Lou—never do that.” It’s quiet but firm and he thinks maybe Liam isn’t talking about cheating.  It grounds Louis to hear that voice. He wonders if he’ll float away without Liam to anchor him, thinks maybe he was just floating through his life before Liam came along.

He surges forward, pushing their lips together. Liam’s hands pull him forward, one behind his neck and the other at the small of his back, until they’re flush against each other, soft against firm and Louis never forgets this.  Remembers it when he can’t talk himself through the empty space of a cold bed and a life without Liam.

Liam breaks the kiss and tucks his head into curve of Louis neck and shoulder, breathing slowly and deeply for a few moments before Louis feels I love you” vibrated into the skin there.

He squeezes them even tighter and he knows Liam hears his reply without another sound. I love you too.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6 months ago to the day Liam had left, had packed his one duffle bag and slung into his car after a kiss and a promise to call the first moment he was allowed.

It was 182 days and counting, and now they were halfway to home he reminds himself because it already felt too long.

Made all the more worse because he’s having the worst kind of day. What with that awful woman in marketing from earlier.  Then the copy machine that was out of toner or broken or something else rendering it useless to Louis , forcing him to take two flights of stairs to use the one upstairs and to top it all off, his lunch was cold and not even close to edible. 

It’s about this time he’d have texted Liam half a dozen times about all these things with all the corresponding emoticons because sometimes nothing conveys how he’s feeling better than 6 parentheses after a colon. 

(Liam was particularly skilled at knowing how many parentheses meant what. 1 if he was pissed, 5 if he was being a bit dramatic and 2 if he was truly upset.)

Liam would text him back dutifully with too many letters in all the wrong places but it would make him smile anyway because it was Liam and Louis was so far gone for him it was a little bit pathetic.

And this would be one of the times when Liam surprises him with lunch and a smile for no other reason than he could, sneaking from behind with an embrace and quick kiss to his cheek or taking a seat on the empty side of Louis’ desk, waiting patiently for Louis to acknowledge him.

“Is this some kind of boyfriend ESP or are you actually stalking me?” he’d tease because it’ll make Liam smile, face crinkling spectacularly before he schools it into a mock serious frown.

“Definitely stalking you.  I’ve actually paid the janitor to report your every move.” the corners of his Lips fighting to pull upward into a smile. 

I knew he looked suspicious.” he’ll respond with a sigh and a knowing nod before fisting the front of Liam’s stupidly tight shirt in his hand and pulling him down for a kiss. 

“Thanks,” he’ll whisper when they finally break apart. 

Liam will smile that soft, sincere smile that Louis knows is just for him and say “always, Tommo.”

But he’s stuck here with no affectionate nickname rolling off anyone’s tongue and so he waits for the clock to strike five so he can curl up with a bottle of wine, crappy takeaway and a queue of X-Factor episodes that he’s missed.  

_I expect a full report every week, alright? No pretending you haven’t been watching because I know you will have.” It’s not that Louis doesn’t enjoy watching, he does;  it’s just the best part is seeing Liam’s face twist and contort as he reacts to each act, trying to find something nice to say about each one because he’s Liam._

_“It was shit, Li.  Just say it. They can’t actually hear you.”_

_“It wasn’t—I mean, he—he almost---“_

_“He almost what? He missed more notes than he hit.  He almost missed all of them.”_

_“Lou.”_

_“It’s the truth, love. Stop acting so offended on his behalf.”_

_Liam’ll huff and ignore him for .03 seconds before Louis’ incessant poking forces him to grin._

_“Okay, maybe he was really terrible.”_

So it’s not really the same watching it alone.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9 months in leaves Louis with a bit of a Lighter step because now they are on the downhill slope and there’s only 90 days separating him from his boy. 

Today is Liam’s birthday and well, Louis is having to celebrate _without_ Liam, which is a already a considerable downer by itself but given it is also the two year anniversary of when they met, it’s that bit harder to take.

They always went to the same restaurant and bar that they did the night they met because Liam was a bit of a romantic and Louis was arse over heels for him.

Harry had more or less dragged him to Liam’s birthday party insisting another night spent with a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough and a _Notting Hill_ rewatch was not the way he needed to spend his night. 

_It had been three months since Aiden and “really Lou, you deserve better and you’re never gonna find it here on this couch.”_

_After he made a show of huffing because maybe he wasn’t looking right now and (honestly he could be very happy with Hugh Grant and this couch fuck you very much), he put on his semi-tight red trousers, which said “I’m not actively trying but I might not say no if you want to admire this” and a band t-shirt, which was probably Harry’s.  Then he made quick work of styling his fringe so that it looked a bit messy and not like he’d spent an extraordinary amount of time make it looking that way._

_“Why are we going to this party again?” He called out as he was brushing his teeth. I mean, who’s this Liam character anyway? Sounds shady to me. How come I’ve never met him?”_

_“He’s a friend of Niall’s” which is really all Lou needs to know as far to why they’re going because Niall could invite Harry to a special reading of the telephone book by the resident cat lady and he’d still say yes he’s so arse over face for him “He’s home on furlough for a few weeks that just happened to fall during his birthday and—“_

_“Whatever, if I don’t wake up with a killer hangover tomorrow and only a blurry recollection of what happened because of this, I’m telling Niall everything.” He’d spent the first week after the breakup just like that and it’d been too long since then._

_An hour and a half into the party and he’s definitely not as drunk as he wants to be for everything that’s going on. Harry fucked off not even half an hour after they got there and Lou’s been stuck trying navigate through a bunch of people who doesn’t know or care to ever know. He’s not sure how Niall knows any of these people because Niall spends almost of his free time at their flat._

_Also there has been no cake and no acknowledgement that this is a birthday party at all._

_He’d been hoping to run into Zayn because other than Harry and Niall, he was the only other person he did know but as usual he’s unreachable._

_He takes another pull from the shitty bottle of beer he’s been nursing and looks around the room briefly when he spots a rather fit fellow standing awkwardly to the side with a beer of his own._

_He looks even more uncomfortable than Louis feels and Louis wonders just who dragged him here because there’s no way he’s here of his own choosing._

_Louis wanders over because he’s bored and the guy is actually incredibly attractive once he gets a closer look and he can be that shallow right now. (In fact he thinks he deserves to be that shallow right now)_

_“So your friends drag you here too?”_

_The man looks over at him with a confused frown like he’s not sure why a complete stranger is speaking to him and then answers “Something like that I suppose. You’re not having a good time?”_

_Louis snorts because no he’s really not and this probably wasn’t his best decision.  He’ll blame the alcohol if this really tanks._

_“Uh, well, I guess not. Kind of awkward being at a birthday party for a person I don’t even know.”_

_That’s not wholly true or even half true. Louis been to parties for much less._

_“Oh right. That would be, uh, weird so who did you come with?” he looks a little thrown off by Louis’ response but recovers quickly enough._

_Louis did always end up picking the weird ones._

_“My best mate, harry.  He’s got a bit of a crush on one of our mutual friends that invited him and I had nothing better to do.”_

_“Harry Styles?”_

_“You know him? Of course you do, I forget that he knows everyone.”_

_“Hah well kind of, my mate, Niall introduced us last week.”_

_“You know--? I think I’m missing something here.” He is. He definitely is._

_“I’m Liam.”_

_Oh well, that’s. Oh. Of course he is._

_“Uh, fuck, happy birthday, I guess?”_

_“Thanks--?”_

_“Louis.”_

_“Thank you, Louis. I’m sorry we couldn’t have met under different circumstances. I’m afraid my birthday party is about as fun as I am.” he says ducking his head sheepishly._

_“No, no it’s not---I’ve just---I’ve been terrible at being a human being lately and I only came because harry was tired of me moping and I’m sorry, this party isn’t that bad.”_

_“No, it probably is. It’s okay though. I think Niall just wanted an excuse to get me drunk or get drunk or something.  I’m not really much of a drinker so I’m not sure what he was thinking.”_

_I don’t know that anyone really ever does when it comes to that one.”_

_“True enough.  I mean I appreciate the thought it’s just—“_

_I get it.” he bites his lip and isn’t sure what compels him to say what he does next. In hindsight he’s glad he did.  “Listen, this beer is terrible and I have a feeling you agree so want to get out of here and finding something to eat? It is your birthday after all.”_

_I don’t know, I mean I know it’s a crappy party but Niall did---“_

_“He’ll understand and maybe I can sneak you out before they make you wear a ridiculous sombrero and stand up on a table while everyone sings happy birthday, yeah?”_

_Liam honest to god_ giggles _at that and Louis can’t help the grin that pulls at his own cheeks._

_“Okay, let’s do it.”_

Niall will yell at them both later for skipping out but when Liam kisses Louis properly for the first time 3 months later, he’ll say it was worth it.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today was April 15th and on his desk calendar, his mostly unused planner and the avengers calendar Liam bought him for his birthday that is hanging on the wall of his cubicle, the date is circled with a bright red marker and the words “Liam’s home and a :D” are printed in his messy scrawl.

Liam’s plane is set to arrive at half 5, which means if he leaves at 3:45 he’ll have enough time to catch the 4:05 bus to the airport.  They’re meeting the lads for drinks at eight at their usual hang about, which means they’ll have a little over two hours to themselves if everything goes to plan.

And honestly, he doesn’t care how they spend it because Liam will be home and he’ll be alive and he can touch and kiss and just be with Liam Like he hasn’t in 12 months.  It was going to be fantastic.

Anyway work had been okay today given the date and the fact that he could shut up about Liam. That same twat who was giving him shit a few weeks ago has found some other poor soul to throw judgmental glares at and really even if she was gonna give him shit, he’d kindly tell her to fuck off because he gets today.  Not that would have made his day not okay but just, it was what it was.

Liam would probably give him shit for it. All earnest puppy eyes telling him that “Maybe she’s just having a bad day, Lou.”

Sometimes Liam was too nice for his own good. “And really what does it matter? You know how we feel. She can’t touch that. It’s ours.”

Liam was also disgustingly sappy in a way that should have had Louis running to the nearest rubbish bin (he did run to it once or twice for show, I mean, he had to maintain some dignity here) but it’s that line that he’d wrote on a post it that had a permanent place on Louis’ desktop to remind him that even when times got rough they still had that.

Louis took more comfort and smiled at it more dopily than he’d care to admit.

He only to make it through one more hour before he could leave this hellhole (not that it was that awful, he really loved his job) but today it was torture to sit in his little cubicle and act like it was a normal workday.  

45 minutes later he’d had enough waiting and was on his way to the bus stop to the bus that would take him to the airport. The airport where Liam would be landing and Louis would have his boy back safe. 

15 minutes after that his knees bumped up and down anxiously as he took a window seat. His mind running a constant _Liam Liam Liam Liam Liam_ because Liam, he was on his way to see Liam.

Nobody tried to start a conversation with him (maybe he looked as crazy as he felt), which is probably a good thing because he’s not sure anything but “I’m going to see my boyfriend Liam and he’s really really great and Liam.” Like a child who was excited about the new toy they’d been promised.

43 minutes from there the bus came to a stop in front of the main entrance and if he’d accidentally pushed into someone a Little harshly trying to get out, well then he’d—well he didn’t really care honestly because there was Liam walking out. 

Still in his army fatigues, sleeves rolled to reveal his chevrons and fuck, was this actually real? I mean, he’s not sure walking is really all that possible and he didn’t even know getting weak in the knees was a real thing that happened.

Fuck there was his Liam, maybe a Little worse for wear, eyes more tired than they’d been when he left but he was there. He was breathing and shit, now he was smiling and god, now Louis really needed to touch. Needed to feel his steady heartbeat under solid muscle, needed to trace his fingers through those eye crinkles, needed to feel those lips under his.

His brain snapped to back into reality and he started walking forward, dropping his satchel to the ground and watching Liam do the same with his own and then after what felt like an unbearable length of time later (the longest walk of his life), he wrapped his arms around Liam’s neck and felt Liam’s arms snake around his waist and pulling him tight. 

He buried his face into that collar and he was definitely crying and he was never going to let go, never gonna move from this spot because it was his Liam here. _Liam Liam Liam Liam_ his mind continue to play over and over. 

He’s not sure how long they stayed like that and he didn’t honestly care because this right here was theirs and nobody else’s.  Fuck anybody who tried to take it away.

“It’s about time, you twat.” okay so his words were a little choked and teary but he can still do this.

I missed you too, Lou.” and then they was some kissing and more hugging and “You’re gonna have to let go of my neck if we’re going to meet the boys later.”

“They’ll understand. You don’t really need that much oxygen do you?”

“As long as I have you, not much I guess.”

He pulled away at that because “Ugh Li, that was terrible. _As long as I have you._ You’re gross. I’m pretty not even harry uses that kind of sh—“

“Have you quite finished?”

“And now you’re stealing my lines? Let you go away for a year, which you’re never doing again by the way and this is what happens. I don’t know if I can---“

And then there was more kissing, this time more firm and Liam was using his teeth and tongue to get inside Louis’ mouth and okay, it was really wonderful to be able to do this again.

“Well at least you haven’t forgotten how to kiss properly.” when they finally break apart.

That earns him a face scrunching smile, Liam’s eyes twinkling and oh man, maybe he could convince the boys to go out tomorrow night because he really wasn’t sure he was gonna be able to share tonight. 

“Home?” Liam said breaking him out of stare by slipping an arm around his waist and pulling him so he fit perfectly into his side. 

“Home.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> comments would be nice but if it's that horrible i can't blame you for not commenting.


End file.
